Provincial Administration
In the wake of the Interstellar War, Drake I inaugurated a new system of regional and local administration for the territories on Gaia, as well as the new territories in Sol, in the Milky Way galaxy. Abolishing the old district system of management, in an Imperial Decree of October 2020, Drake I created a new provincial organization for the Imperial territories. In the same decree, he fully and finally abolished the last vestiges of the old captaincy system which had governed regional and local administration since the time of Treksylvania. He retained the division of the provincial administration into Senatorial and Imperial offices which had been established in the last years of the rule of Michael I, as this was still considered the best means of dividing administrative authority and thereby relieving the burden otherwise to have been imposed on the Parliament. He further authorized in the decree the creation of a third level of local administration, the Military Administration.
In the new political organization created by Drake I, the county system was resurrected. This system had been in use in the old United States prior to the Third World War, but fell into abeyance during the Confederation era and part of the Imperial Treksylvanian era. The major difference between the new Imperial county system and the old was that in almost all cases, counties were created by meshing portions of the old counties and creating new county structures. Only in a few cases were new names designated for the new counties, with many retaining their former names. Within the counties, a commission was established to manage the affairs of both the rural areas and the scores of cities and towns within each county. A special Commissioner with the added royal title of Count or Duke presided over the commission, which would be formed by officials elected by the people within the county with no Imperial oversight in the elections (though the Parliament and Emperor retained the right to remove any councillor who had broken Imperial Law and request a new special election). The Commissioners were selected by the Emperor and vetted by the Imperial Parliament and the Palaco (pronounced "Palaso"). The only exception was in those counties forming the province that was designated Senatorial, in which case, while the Emperor could still select a Commissioner, the Parliament could also offer an alternative candidate which would then be subjected to the vetting process alongside the Imperial candidate before both were submitted to the electoral process.
The three main divisions of provincial government are as follows:
In the new political organization created by Drake I, the county system was resurrected. This system had been in use in the old United States prior to the Third World War, but fell into abeyance during the Confederation era and part of the Imperial Treksylvanian era. The major difference between the new Imperial county system and the old was that in almost all cases, counties were created by meshing portions of the old counties and creating new county structures. Only in a few cases were new names designated for the new counties, with many retaining their former names. Within the counties, a commission was established to manage the affairs of both the rural areas and the scores of cities and towns within each county. A special Commissioner with the added royal title of Count or Duke presided over the commission, which would be formed by officials elected by the people within the county with no Imperial oversight in the elections (though the Parliament and Emperor retained the right to remove any councillor who had broken Imperial Law and request a new special election). The Commissioners were selected by the Emperor and vetted by the Imperial Parliament and the Palaco (pronounced "Palaso"). The only exception was in those counties forming the province that was designated Senatorial, in which case, while the Emperor could still select a Commissioner, the Parliament could also offer an alternative candidate which would then be subjected to the vetting process alongside the Imperial candidate before both were submitted to the electoral process.
The three main divisions of provincial government are as follows:
- Imperial Provinces - Provinces where the Imperial Court, with some oversight from the Palaco and Parliament, are the chief administrators. Commissioners are selected by the Imperial Court, while the councillors are elected by the people of the counties. The Imperial Court has finance offices assigned to the task of tax regulation, corporate regulation and infrastructure. 5% of collected tax goes to the Imperial Court while the bulk of the remainder is invested in continued infrastructure development and renovation.
- Senatorial Provinces - Provinces where the Parliament, with oversight from the Palaco and very limited oversight from the Imperial Court, are the chief administrators. In the provincial administration, no single member of the Senate or Konsilio holds executive authority but instead offer candidates to both the councils and the Commissioner office-alongside an Imperial candidate in the case of the Commissioner office. 5% of tax collected go to the Parliament, which invests the funds in common infrastructure projects, military defense and healthcare. The rest is reinvested in the provinces to serve as relief funds during low economic times or in cases of natural disasters such as storms.
- Military Administration - Military administration does not involve provincial administration, but because military bases are often located within provinces, the counties in which said bases are located are placed under the direct authority of the War Ministry, which oversees base defense, infrastructure, healthcare, and tax regulation through its many branch offices. As Klingons are more military oriented than others, the financial aspects of the military administrations are often handled either by Human or Ferengi officials. Tribunals serve a dual function in that they administer justice, but also manage the affairs of the administration. 10% of taxes collected go to the War Ministry for use in upgrading military equipment and training new recruits. The remainder is reinvested in the administrative areas.